Chapter 45 The Lin Family's Dispute Over Division: "Where did this mad dog come from..."
"Where did this mad dog come from, barking like that?" Meng Dongchun's words instantly silenced the audience.
Mingxi's eyes widened. As expected of Meng Dongchun, she really doesn't spoil anyone.
The Lin family members present were all stunned. Lin's parents never expected that Meng Dongchun, who had been sitting and speaking to them so politely just now, would be so rude. Lin Hai and Lin Meimei, on the other hand, had stars in their eyes.
As for Aunt Lin, Uncle Lin, and Aunt Lin, they were suspicious of themselves.
Did they hear that right?
Meng Dongchun said they were mad dogs?!
Aunt Lin clenched her fists, her face flushed: "You little brat, who are you calling a mad dog?"
Meng Dongchun stood up: "Whoever calls me that, I'll say it."
"You, you...you!"
Aunt Lin was so angry that she trembled all over, but Meng Dongchun didn't name names. Instead, she was the one who rushed to speak up.
Uncle Lin's face darkened: "Comrade Meng, how can you speak like that? Everyone here is your elder. Even if you don't respect your elders, as a junior, there's no reason for you to call your elders mad dogs!"
Meng Dongchun sneered, "Elders? To hell with your elders! Who do you think you are, daring to act like an elder? My Meng family's daughter naturally has elders to respect. But you, some old hag from who-knows-where, are using your age to put on airs everywhere. What, are you only going to live a few more years, afraid you won't have the chance to act like an elder in front of your own family later, so you've come out here to have some fun?"
"You, you...you!"
After Meng Dongchun's barrage of questions, both Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin were speechless.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he was clutching his heart, as if he was about to faint from anger at any moment.
Aunt Lin shrank back upon seeing this.
If you scolded the third brother, you can't scold her.
Unlike Aunt Lin, Third Aunt Lin stepped forward to support her husband. Seeing how angry Third Uncle Lin was, she felt extremely distressed and turned to point at Meng Dongchun's nose.
"You little girl, you've got a sharp tongue, but I bet your family didn't teach you manners. Well then, I'll teach you what respect for elders and juniors means today."
Meng Dongchun: "Teach me? Are you even qualified? You keep calling yourself an elder, but my family doesn't have any of those damn elders who come to cause trouble while my nephew is looking for a wife. I think what you're doing is just disrespectful to elders!"
Meng Dongchun's mouth is like it's been poisoned; every word he utters is like a dagger to the heart.
"You, you...you!"
Aunt Lin was furious after being scolded by her.
She's disrespectful to her elders?!
Is she old?!
She's only forty-two this year!
While Meng Dongchun was debating with the group of scholars, Lin Hai and Lin Meimei behind him had their eyes filled with stars.
Lin Hai: Comrade Meng is really amazing!
Lin Daiyu: Sister Meng is so amazing!
Meng Dongchun glanced at the three of them with disdain and curled his lip in contempt.
A bunch of trash.
"Ahem, lady, as an outsider, coming to our home and acting so rudely towards our family members, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
An aged voice came from the doorway, and Mr. and Mrs. Lin's expressions darkened when they saw who it was.
Lin's father: "Dad, you don't know, it was my sister-in-law and her mistress who came over first..."
Mingxi realized that the old man standing at the door was Grandpa Lin, the current head of the Lin family.
Grandpa Lin slammed his cane heavily onto the ground: "Second son, shut up!"
He said sternly, "No matter what your sister-in-law and the others have done, you are all family, a family connected by blood. This is still on our Lin family's territory. Are you just going to stand by and watch this little brat from outside bully our family like this? Do you still care about your brothers, about our Lin family, and about me, your father?"
Mingxi pouted. She had heard before that Grandpa Lin was biased, and seeing this, it was indeed true.
When Aunt Lin and her two companions barged in, they made such a commotion that Grandpa Lin didn't even come out, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing. Now that he sees Aunt Lin and her two companions getting the short end of the stick, he's finally showing up in time.
Upon hearing Grandpa Lin's words, Lin's father looked hurt and took a step back.
Although he had long known that Grandpa Lin favored his eldest brother and younger brother, he never expected that Grandpa Lin's favoritism had reached the point of being unable to distinguish right from wrong. He also never expected that Grandpa Lin would still favor the families of Lin's eldest aunt and Lin's third uncle when it came to such a major event concerning Lin Hai's life.
While Lin's father was still grieving, Meng Dongchun launched another attack: "Oh ho, so after beating the young, the old have come? I'm really curious about what's wrong with your Lin family. Why can't you distinguish right from wrong, young and old? You come to my door and immediately accuse me of being unruly and disrespectful to my elders. When I talk back, you start saying I have no sense of hierarchy and that you need to teach me manners. Old man, I'd like to ask you, how do you teach your children manners?"
"Also, I'm just curious, are only your eldest and youngest sons your biological children? Isn't Lin Hai's father your child? You keep talking about the whole family, so you're the kind of family that deliberately sabotages when your nephews from other families are looking for a spouse? Your family relationship is really something else!"
Lin's father suddenly looked up. These were his true feelings, kept inside for so many years, but he never expected that they would be spoken by a stranger like Meng Dongchun.
When Mingxi saw Meng Dongchun start a group buy, she immediately followed suit: "That's right, Grandpa Lin, the relationship in your family is really special, so special that I can't help but want to go out and spread the word about it!"
"You dare!" Grandpa Lin glared at him.
Mingxi raised her chin and gave the other person a provocative look.
That means we'll see if she dares.
Grandpa Lin's face turned ashen as he sensed the meaning in Mingxi's eyes.
Mingxi: Hmph!
She holds grudges, especially since Uncle Lin just said she was young and unreliable!
Although Grandpa Lin was angry, he knew he couldn't let Mingxi tell anyone about what happened today.
They are in the wrong here. If word gets out, where will the Lin family put their face?
If Mingxi knew what he was thinking, she would definitely roll her eyes.
Ha, so you know you're in the wrong!
Grandpa Lin was furious, but he absolutely couldn't let his family's affairs get out. He could only suppress his anger and force a smile, saying, "Young comrade, as the saying goes, leave a way out for yourself so you can meet again in the future. If we Lin family were in the wrong today, I, the old man, apologize to you two on their behalf. Let's just let this matter go. What do you think?"
Meng Dongchun gave a mocking smile.
Mingxi was also full of disdain. She was arrogant when she made those harsh words, but now she knew to bow her head and admit her mistake.
I've never seen anyone so shameless.
She twitched the corners of her mouth but didn't say anything.
Meng Dongchun was too lazy to pay attention to this old man. If it weren't for his age, she would have cursed him a few more times.
Seeing that the two people didn't speak but also didn't refuse, Grandpa Lin knew that the matter was over. He breathed a sigh of relief and leaned on his cane to go back to the house.
These two girls are too talkative and difficult to deal with; he can't get the better of them in front of him.
He waited until they left before coming over to talk to the second son.
Anyway, Grandpa Lin was determined to give Lin's father a good scolding and let him know that he was the head of the family and that as long as he was alive, Lin's father had to obey him!
And most importantly, Lin Hai absolutely must never have any contact with Meng Dongchun again!
Meng Dongchun is too unruly, and he can't control her. If Lin Hai really marries Meng Dongchun, he won't be able to maintain his absolute authority in the family, and he won't be able to keep his second son obedient.
Grandpa Lin had a well-thought-out plan, but reality did not unfold as he had anticipated. Just as he was about to leave the east wing, his mother, who had been silent all along, spoke up.
"Dad, no, you can't leave!"
Grandpa Lin turned around and said impatiently, "Second son's wife, what do you want?"
Lin's mother took a deep breath: "Dad, you have to stand up for Lin Hai!"
She said, "My sister-in-law and Xiao Sanzi's wife deliberately barged in today while Hai Zi was looking for a wife, intending to ruin it. Dad, as the head of the family, you always say that the family should be united and help each other. You can't just stand by and watch my sister-in-law and Xiao Sanzi deliberately sabotage Hai Zi's marriage, can you?"
Grandpa Lin's face darkened.
Why is the second son so clueless? He just doesn't want to talk about this in front of Meng Dongchun and Mingxi, but why is he still holding onto it?
Seeing that Grandpa Lin's expression was not good, Uncle Lin knew that the old man was really angry, so he quickly stood up to defend him.
"Second sister-in-law, you're really wronging us. We just said that we didn't mean to sabotage Hai Zi's matchmaking. We came to remind him because we wanted what was best for him."
Aunt Lin: "That's right, that's right, we all mean well. If you don't want to hear it, Second Sister-in-law, then we won't say it next time."
Even at this point, these two were still twisting the truth, which made Lin's mother even angrier.
She had endured the old man's favoritism for over twenty years, and she had also endured the Lin family siblings treating her and her husband like workhorses for over twenty years. But today, when she saw Meng Dongchun speak out against people so frankly, she finally woke up.
There's no point in tolerating this shameless family; it only emboldens them further.
Lin's mother took a deep breath. Since that was the case, she decided she couldn't bear it anymore.
Lin's mother looked at Lin's third uncle and aunt: "You all talk a good game, but don't think I don't know. You're all hoping that Hai Zi's love life will fail, hoping that he won't be able to find a partner and get married. That way, the old man won't be able to divide the family property, right?"
Grandpa Lin had promised that once all the boys of Lin Hai's generation got married, he would separate the family and let everyone move out on their own.
Among the boys of Lin Hai's generation, Lin Hai is the only one who is still unmarried.
The second branch of the Lin family, that is, Lin Hai's family, naturally hoped to separate the family property, but the other branches of the Lin family did not think so.
According to Grandpa Lin's rules, regardless of whether the family is divided, everyone's salary must be handed over to the communal fund. Of course, that's what Grandpa Lin said, but he favored his eldest and youngest sons, so he always found reasons to make the eldest and third sons only hand over a portion of their salaries. Only the second son's family, where Lin's father lived, handed over all of their salaries to the communal fund.
Even so, Grandpa Lin would occasionally use money from the public funds to subsidize Uncle Lin and Third Uncle Lin.
If the family were to split up, without the wages that Lin's father would hand over, how would Lin's grandfather use Lin's father's wages to subsidize the other two families? And where would Lin's eldest uncle and third uncle get any advantage?
Therefore, Uncle Lin and Third Uncle Lin did not want Lin Hai to get married or to separate from the family.
Lin's mother: "You don't want to separate the family, so you want our family of old oxen to work for you for the rest of our lives, to be your bloodsuckers for the rest of our lives, is that it!"
Aunt Lin, Uncle Lin, and Aunt Lin were furious and embarrassed after their secret was exposed.
Aunt Lin: "Second son, don't talk nonsense. Who said we want to leech off you? Our husband works as a clerk at the grain station. He's a leader there, earning over a hundred a month. Why would we need to leech off you?"
Lin's mother: "Sister-in-law, you're saying now that my brother's monthly salary is over a hundred, but before, when Dad said we should hand over our salaries to the public fund, what did you say about my brother's salary not being much, and that he only handed over thirty-five yuan a month?"
"I..."
Aunt Lin realized she had let something slip and was filled with regret. She glanced guiltily at Grandpa Lin, afraid that he would be angry about it.
Little did she know that Grandpa Lin got angry because of the look she gave him.
How could the eldest son be so stupid!
He got the boss's job through connections, so how could he not know how much the boss earns a month? He's just pretending not to know because he's afraid the boss will be short of money!
If the eldest son doesn't feel guilty and looks over, insisting that he misspoke, the second son's family won't be able to say anything.
After all, the second son's family couldn't go to the grain station to ask for the eldest son's pay slip to verify it.
But if she looks at me so nervously, doesn't that give her away?
Grandpa Lin cursed the idiot in his heart, while giving Uncle Lin a knowing look.
Uncle Lin, having received the hint, decisively stepped forward and said righteously, "With our parents alive, we can still live a good life. What do you mean by suddenly wanting to separate the family, Second Sister-in-law? Are you trying to make Dad sick? A woman as unfilial as you is not worthy of being a daughter-in-law of our Lin family. If you continue to cause trouble like this, I'll make Second Brother divorce you!"
Lin's mother is an honest person, but she was really pushed to the limit today, and with Meng Dongchun's influence, she finally stood up for herself. But she is still an honest person who is not good at speaking.
Hearing this, she felt wronged and sad, tears streaming down her face, but her mouth was as if it were glued shut, and she couldn't say a word.
At this moment, Meng Dongchun stood up and said, "You think this is the old society? Open your eyes and look around. The Qing Dynasty has been gone for so many years. This is the new China. There is no such thing as divorce, only separation. The policy stipulates freedom of marriage, and no one else has the right to interfere."
Mingxi chimed in, "That's right, Uncle Lin, you're supposed to be a staff member at your workplace, how can your ideological awareness be so low?"
Uncle Lin was so angry that his face turned red. He turned around and shouted angrily, "Dad, look at Second Sister-in-law!"
These two girls are sharp-tongued and particularly good at labeling people. He didn't even notice a word they said, and they caught him red-handed, saying he had low moral character.
If this gets out, he won't be happy.
Uncle Lin realized that he couldn't handle these two girls, so he should leave them to his father!
Grandpa Lin: Useless!
What a piece of trash!
How come I never realized the third brother was such a useless piece of trash? He can't even handle two little girls, we have to call on him!
Grandpa Lin completely ignored the fact that he couldn't argue with Meng Dongchun and Mingxi either.
He looked at Lin's father and coughed heavily twice: "Second son, tell me, what are you thinking? Do you, like your wife, not want to take care of your father and want to separate from the family?"
Mingxi curled her lip; this old man was extremely cunning.
When they can't win an argument, they resort to emotional blackmail.
However, she didn't say anything.
After all, whether or not the family splits up is a matter for the Lin family, and it has nothing to do with her, an outsider.
Mr. Lin remained silent for a long time, as if he hadn't heard what Mr. Lin said, and Mr. Lin wasn't in a hurry either.
He knew his son well.
His second son is the most honest and sentimental. If he just softens his tone and says some nice things, he'll definitely be able to win his second son's heart back.
In stark contrast to Grandpa Lin's attitude were Lin Hai and Lin Meimei. They had never thought about dividing the family property, but now that such an opportunity was presented to them, they were more excited than anyone else.
Lin Daiyu: "Dad! Let's break up, I don't want to..."
Grandpa Lin said sternly, "Lin Xue, do you think you, a little girl, have the right to speak like this?"
Meng Dongchun glanced at Grandpa Lin, then turned to Mingxi as if whispering something, but deliberately raised her voice to a level that everyone in the room could hear: "Oh dear, some old men keep calling her 'little girl.' Those who know understand that they are sexist and look down on women, but those who don't might think they are ancient relics from the Qing Dynasty."
Mingxi craned her neck and shouted, "That's right!"
Grandpa Lin: !!!
Don't think he can't tell they're talking about him!
Grandpa Lin's hand holding the cane was trembling. He deliberately avoided looking at Meng Dongchun and Mingxi, staring straight at Lin's father: "Second son, what do you say?"
Lin's father slowly raised his head.
Lin's mother: "Husband!"
Lin Hai/Lin Meimei: "Dad!"
After a long silence, Lin's father said in a hoarse voice, "Dad, let's separate the family. The children are all grown up now, and it's too chaotic for the whole family to stay together."
Grandpa Lin was furious upon hearing these unexpected words. He slammed his cane at Lin's father and yelled, "You ungrateful bastard! Your whole family eats my food and drinks my water, and you're still living in my house. I'm still alive and well, and you want to divide the family property? Let me tell you, dream on!"
Mr. Lin was deeply hurt: "Dad, how could you say that?"
He's been contributing money to the company all these years, not to mention buying a house. He's worked at the auto repair shop for over twenty years and is long overdue for housing, but his father has been preventing him from moving out.
Grandpa Lin didn't care whether Lin's father was injured or not, and continued to speak coldly: "You're an ingrate, and you still won't admit it. There are three children in the family, and neither your eldest brother nor your third brother has mentioned dividing the family property. Why is it that you insist on bringing it up? I've known for a long time that you're not a filial son!"
Lin's father said in disbelief, "Dad..."
Meng Dongchun: "A son's filial piety depends on the elders being reasonable. If the elders are biased and prejudiced, it's useless for the child to be filial, because the elders can't see it."
Lin's father turned around and had to admit that hearing Meng Dongchun's words made him feel much better.
Yes, his father is biased, so no matter how filial he is, it's useless.
Grandpa Lin really couldn't stand it anymore. How could Meng Dongchun always have to interrupt?
He said coldly, "Comrade Meng, you shouldn't be meddling in our family affairs, should you?"
Meng Dongchun: "Oh, I shouldn't have interrupted."
"But I'd like to."
Meng Dongchun looked at Grandpa Lin defiantly.
Grandpa Lin glared fiercely at Meng Dongchun, but he couldn't do anything about it.
At this moment, Lin's father shouted again, "Dad, let's divide the family property!"
Seeing that Lin's father was determined, Grandpa Lin knew that he probably wouldn't be able to coax him away with a few words as usual today, so he simply pretended not to hear and turned around.
He definitely won't agree to split up the family!
Watching Grandpa Lin leave, Aunt Lin, Uncle Lin, and Aunt Lin exchanged bewildered glances.
Sister-in-law, what do you suggest we do?
I don't know, what do you think, Third Brother/Third Sister-in-law?
We don't know either!
None of the three knew what to do, so they simply left the east wing in silence.
Watching them leave, Lin's father sighed deeply, Lin's mother sat down in silence, and Lin's younger sister looked dejected. Lin Hai patted his sister's head to comfort her.
Lin Daiyu was still not happy. She thought she could take advantage of the moment to divide the family property, but the matter was still unresolved.
Meng Dongchun looked at the four people strangely: "Why make it so complicated? It's not like the old man can't divide the family. If you want to divide the family, just call the neighborhood committee over to handle the division."
Lin Meimei's eyes lit up, and she looked up, but quickly pouted and said, "Sister Meng, the neighborhood committee can't force the separation of families."
Meng Dongchun: "The neighborhood committee can't force you, but it can mediate. Your old man is obviously a face-conscious person. If the neighborhood committee comes a few more times, he probably won't be able to stand it and will agree to the division of the family. If all else fails, Lin Hai, you should go and beat up your third uncle and eldest uncle. I think your old man feels sorry for them. After beating them until they can't stand it and start making a fuss about dividing the family, your old man should agree."
Lin Hai: "This...this isn't a good idea."
Meng Dongchun pursed his lips. "Fine, it seems Lin Hai is really honest."
However, being honest has its advantages.
Lin's father, Lin's mother, and Lin's younger sister all lit up at the same time.
Of course, they didn't agree with letting Lin Hai beat up Uncle Lin and Third Uncle Lin; they just thought that contacting the neighborhood committee would be a good idea.
The three of them exchanged glances, ready to give it a try.
The three of them pulled Lin Hai along, and before Lin Hai could even react, they followed them out the door.
And so, Mingxi followed Meng Dongchun and Lin Hai's family to the subdistrict office, and soon called the subdistrict office director over.
The other members of the Lin family were somewhat bewildered when they saw their father call over the director of the neighborhood committee, until their father explained that the director had come to handle the division of the family property.
Grandpa Lin immediately flew into a rage, angrily pointing his finger at Lin's father and cursing him, calling him a "little brat" and a "scoundrel." Lin's father remained silent, neither saying a word nor responding, and simply listened to the cursing.
After Grandpa Lin finished scolding, he finally spoke up: "Dad, if you've finished scolding, let's talk about dividing the family property."
Grandpa Lin, who had just stopped to rest, felt like he couldn't catch his breath when he heard this. He almost passed out, but Uncle Lin noticed that something was wrong and pinched his philtrum to bring him back to his senses.
The first thing he did after recovering was to continue pointing his finger at Lin's father and cursing.
Lin's father remained silent as always.
Lin Hai, his mother, and his sister remained silent.
The commotion in the Lin family courtyard was quite loud, and neighbors from all around, both in the front and back yards, came to watch the excitement.
Everyone was surprised to hear that Lin's father wanted to divide the family property.
Lin's father is such an honest man, working like an ox in the Lin family. How could he possibly want to separate the family property?
Mingxi, who was full of gossip and had nowhere to vent, started rambling on about how Aunt Lin and her two aunts had caused trouble for Lin Haixiang and how Grandpa Lin had been biased and unfair.
The neighbors who had gathered to listen to the commotion were completely bewildered.
No wonder even the usually honest Mr. Lin couldn't stand it anymore; Old Master Lin was too biased!
Grandpa Lin was hoping that one of the neighbors watching would be on his side.
But things didn't go as he expected.
None of the neighbors who came to watch sided with him.
When everyone thought about it, they realized that Lin's father was almost fifty years old and still hadn't separated from the family. He even had to hand over his salary to Old Man Lin, leaving himself with no money. They couldn't help but feel sorry for Lin's father.
Even the neighborhood committee director who was called in advised, "Uncle Lin, your children are all getting on in years. If I remember correctly, your eldest grandson's wife is about to give birth, right? It's time to separate the family. Forcing the whole family to stay together won't make them happy."
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Author's Note: Comrade Xiaoming was the best support this time, hehehe, she followed Meng Jie's team fight instantly! [Sunglasses][Sunglasses][Sunglasses]
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